[Smt-talk] whether to laugh or cry?

[Michael Luxner]

Philip Ball’s The Music Instinct. though definitely written for the lay
reader, is a recent, wide-ranging study of
“how music works and why we can’t live without it” (his subtitle).  It's
well researched and draws on most of the modes of reception and
cognition that one would think of, from acoustics to aesthetics and
psychology to neurology and the currently fashionable brain studies. 
Its central tenet is that almost everyone is “musical” in
the sense that perception is a complex, creative act.  Though not a
breakthrough book for professionals, it's useful in surveying a wide
range of approaches to "how music works" in one place.

Michael Luxner
Professor of Music
Director of Orchestral Activities
Millikin University


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     If someone knows of  an intelligently-written book on "how music   
 works" that the lay person can learn from, and yet will not be an    
embarrassment to the professional, let me know!
      
     Christopher Bonds
     Wayne State College, Emeritus
     
    
 
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